Topic Tuesday: Comparison

“The Art of Comparison” (By: Lindey Knox)

I used to be a painter. No one knew. My paintings were mostly portraits and rarely abstract. Though, if abstract art depicts a person in an exaggerated way, then maybe my art was abstract.

See, I had this tendency to paint pictures of other people in my mind. People I knew and people I didn’t know. Without fail, their portraits were perfect and always better than my self portrait. They had everything – beauty, success, companionship, happiness…whatever I felt I was lacking, they had it.

The problem with my artwork was that it was based on assumption. In comparing myself with others I assumed they had these idealistic lives and the inner thoughts and expressions of my mind created false portraits. My art truly was abstract because I exaggerated the details of their lives, and in turn, felt unworthy when I compared their portrait to my own.

Over the last year I’ve consistently been reminded that comparison is the thief of joy. I am not sure who first coined that phrase but it comes with such great wisdom. In a world that bombards us with mixed messages about who we should be and how we should look it can be hard not to compare. And then adding on to the messages, we have plenty of visuals. I am not saying Facebook and Instagram are evil, but wow, the power of a photo. It’s wild how something so simple can suddenly pull you down when all you see is perfection and not necessarily truth. It’s rare that someone will post a not-so-flattering update or photo, right?

Healing comes when we can recognize the things that hinder us. It’s time to stop comparing for it will hinder you from whatever battle you are facing.

Start celebrating your portrait and embrace all the many positive attributes so many people love about you.

About the Author

Lindey has lived in the Nashville area since middle school. Lindey battled with her eating disorder for 9 years but over the past 3 years has experienced great healing and freedom. Her passion is to encourage women of all ages and to help them discover their purpose and passions. At first sharing her story was not an easy task but over the years she’s learned that vulnerability and honesty helps build relationships and relationships are important for healing and growth. Lindey worked in advertising for over 5 years and currently serves as the Executive Assistant to a CMO at a local business in the Nashville area.

To read more from Lindey, please click here.